A Pharaoh's Wish
by BioGeek109
Summary: If the Millennium Puzzle has the ability to grant one wish to the person who solves it, what had his other self wished for when the puzzle had been his?


So...that was it then. Atem couldn't say that he was disappointed in the outcome of the ceremonial duel. He had been so conflicted about the whole requirement from the beginning. Torn between his desire to be with his friends and partner and his desire to see his friends and family in the next life. In the end he had just resolved to fight with everything he had and let fate decide where he was meant to be.

He had expected defeat to taste more bitter than it did. His pride in his Aibou seemed to coat it with honey. Goodbye, however, was bitter. Worse than any medicine he had ever had the misfortune of trying. He resolved not to turn around. If he did so he would surely cry and that was something his pride would not allow.

He felt the change come over him when he neared the door. His restrictive modern clothing giving way to the linen and gold he had worn in his past life. Only a few more steps and this would all be over and he wouldn't have to worry anymore about whether he would have enough resolve to leave behind everything he had know for the past few years.

He was crossing the stone tablet when a golden light stopped him in his tracks. Looking down he was shocked to see in was coming from the millennium puzzle that had been placed in the center of the stone right beneath his feet.

"Pharaoh"

Yugi's voice made him turn. The soft confidence in his partner's eyes contrasted the tear-tracks on his cheeks. Atem's face was a mirror of confusion in response.

"When we were in the memory world RPG." He continued "In that tomb in the valley of the kings it was written that the millennium puzzle has the power to grant one wish to the person who solves it."

That's right, Yugi had wished for true friends, Atem remembered him saying that. Before he could make any response his partner continued.

"You were the owner of the millennium puzzle before I was. If I can ask you one question...what was it that you wished for?"

The question hit Atem like an oncoming train. "What had he wished for?" He hadn't thought about it.

His gaze traveled to the softly glowing item at his feet as he recalled the time in his life when the puzzle came to him. It was true, when His father had passed the puzzle had shattered and it came to him in pieces. Their state a perfect metaphor for his heart. He had poured hours into putting it back together. The puzzle was a distraction from the stress of ruling an empire and from his heart rending grief but it was also an item that had belonged to his father. Seeing it in pieces was a constant reminder of his loss and he couldn't leave it that way.

As the memories from that time, the memories he had fought so hard to regain, filled his mind he started to speak softly. Partly to answer Yugi's question and partially to keep his thoughts from running away with him before he could follow them to the answer he was looking for.

"When I first put the puzzle together...I was shown a vision." The practical part of his mind, the one that always reminded him that a God-king does not cry or show weakness, was appalled at how small and shaky his voice sounded. He still wasn't making eye-contact with any of his friends but he could feel all of their eyes on him.

"I saw what the millennium items really were, where they had come from. I saw the calamity they would bring upon my people. And I knew…" he had to pause here to collect his composure a bit, "...I knew what the cost would be to prevent it."

Atem slowly lifted his eyes from his feel at this point and scanned the faces in the room. "In that moment…" He locked eyes with his Aibou and could no longer keep the tears from leaking from the sides of his eyes as he forced the last few words out around the lump in his throat.

"I wished for life"

It was true, he was so young, and while his heart ached for the loss of his father he wanted to make him proud. He wanted to show him that he would lead Kemet the way his father had taught him and he had wanted to be a good king for his people. But most of all, He wanted time to live, to experience life, to love and travel and to all the things his father had wanted for him. He realized now that that was still what he wished. Despite everything he had been through, He wanted to live. He wanted to taste those hamburgers that Yugi loved so much and experience for himself what snow felt like.. When he was only the spirit of the puzzle he hadn't much cared about such things, but as his memory of his past life returned there were many parts of Yugi's daily life that were in such contrast to his own that he couldn't help the curiosity he felt about them.

The brightness from the puzzle had become blinding as he had voiced his wish and he felt a change come over him. He had been given a tactile body for the purpose of the duel so it wasn't so much that he felt he was receiving a body but the body seemed to change. It became "his" and he suddenly realized how foreign yugi's body had felt whenever he had been using it. When the light diminished he found himself standing heavily on the dias. The tablet had completely vanished and he realized that the door he was about to walk through was gone as well, leaving behind nothing but a blank wall.

"It seems that the puzzle has decided to grant your wish after all."


End file.
